Remember
by tomboy101
Summary: She doesn't remember anything from before five years ago. She has nothing to give her a clue as to who she is or where she's from. Nothing, but a carved blue stone arond her neck and ruby ring on her finger.
1. Bokahn

She hated it. Five years ago she might have been someone but an accident she could not remember erased those memories she could not recall. She forced herself not to shudder as the man above her ran a hand over her bare stomach. This man, like so many others, was a customer at The Joyous Court, the high-class brothel where she worked. She might have been someone once, the ruby ring on her left ring finger could attest to that, but now she was nothing more than a whore. A woman to be used purely by men as an object for pleasure. This was her hell. This was her life.

Five years ago she had wandered into the bordello, pregnant, battered, with no memory and no home. Madame Ming, the bordello's owner, had taken her in, seeing nothing but a beautiful woman with unique, bright blue eyes who might draw customers like moths to a flame. Madame Ming had even named her: Bokahn, meaning "one who has no name". Nine months later the twins were born, her pride and joy. She loved them dearly but the night they were born Madame Ming had told her what she must do in order to repay her debt.

Unable to look her two children in the eyes the morning after; hating herself for her inability to tell them about their father, not even his name or what he looked like. She was certain that their father had not been a customer, and this was her only solace.

The man above her laughed and pressed himself against her. She groaned, out of pain, self-loathing, no one would ever know. She would endure this torture only a little longer. Her debt to Madame Ming was almost completely repaid. Soon she would be able to leave, book passage off of the first merchant ship she found and take her beloved children from this accursed place: Ember Island.

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><p><em>I can't believe it has been five years<em>. Zuko of the Fire Nation sighed. The young Fire Lord leaned back in his chair, taking a much-needed break after poring over countless documents for the better part of the day. _Five years_, he thought. _I've been Fire Lord for five years. Sokka and Suki have been parents for four Kai moved to Ember Island four years ago. Toph and Aang have been traveling around the world for two years and Katara—' '_Zuko halted that train of thought abruptly.

He was not going to think about the Master Waterbender, or her death. She had disappeared during the fighting in the Fire Nation capitol after they had defeated Azula together. He had not seen her since then, no one had. The defeat of Ozai had come at heavy price, many brave men and women had died but Katara's death had hurt them the most. She was the only one out of Aang's immediate group that had suffered such a dreadful fate.

Zuko remembered her big blue eyes and wonderful smile more clearly then he remembered what he had eaten for breakfast that morning. She had been his best friend and, in the end, he had fallen for her, hard and fast. The last night they had been together he had told her how he felt, as a preparation for the coming day, when they would all face their destinies. That was the one thing Zuko had never regretted when it came to Katara, because she had said "I love you too". The words that he had always dreamed she would say to him.

Zuko sighed, massaging his temple. He could feel a headache coming on. They came more and more frequently these days and he found himself desperately wishing for a vacation, possibly to his family home on Ember Island.

General Iroh watched his young nephew from the doorway. He pitied Zuko, who looked weary to the bone. Surrounded by hard work and aggressive generals and nobles for five long years his nephew had purple shadows under his eyes that never seemed to fade. It was then Iroh had an idea. Quickly, he closed the Fire Lord's study door behind him and made his way back down the hall. The plan was rapidly forming in the aged general's mind. They would take a vacation, to Ember Island perhaps. He would invite the Avatar, Lady Toph, Prince Sokka, Lady Suki—and of course their children. Plus, if they went to Ember Island his nephew would have the opportunity to see his childhood friend, Kai, again. Yes, he thought, Ember Island would work perfectly. He would write to the young people today; it would do Zuko good to be around people his own age.

Iroh stopped a passing servant, requesting a scribe be sent to his private study, then he continued on his way. When he arrived in his study there was a scribe already waiting for him, her ink brush, ink, and parchment out and ready. "Good morning, Amati," he greeted her kindly.

The scribe, Amati, smiled and blushed and the old man's kindness. As she settled herself down to begin taking notes for Iroh she tucked a strand of wine-red hair behind her ear. The glint of her hair as she moved caught Iroh's attention and he smiled sadly behind Amati's back.

Only one other person possessed that dark red hair in the Fire Nation—perhaps even the world. Young Amati had a sister—a twin—who sported the same red hair: Zuko's childhood friend, the Firebender Kai.

When Zuko had taken control of the Fire Nation the sisters had been able to see each other for the first time in almost ten years. The reunion had been a tearful, joyous one, stained with the sorrow for the loss of all the brave warriors on both sides, but especially Kai's new best friend Katara.

Oh Katara. The general often mourned the loss of the spunky Waterbender his nephew loved. Katara had been the mother of the Avatar's traveling group. Her assumed death had been instrumental in the group breaking up. She had been the one to keep them all grounded and together. Without her they seemed lost.

"My Lord?"

Iroh left his thoughts for another time and returned to reality. He turned his attention to the petite redhead sitting at her portable desk looking up at him with big gold-brown eyes, ink brush in hand. "Yes, of course. We will be writing invitations to our dear nephew's old traveling companions. They will say…"

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><p>The docks were busy today. She heard the dockworkers talking to each other as she walked along. Someone important was coming to the island. They would be staying at the South End, where all the rich families had their vacation homes. Bokahn prayed that the men in this important group were honorable enough to stay away from The Joyous Court, but she doubted it. Every time tourists came to the island, high class or not, there were always new customers. And Bokahn always attracted attention with her big blue eyes, walnut skin and lithe frame. Madame Ming always lamented over Bokahn not being a virgin when she came to The Joyous Court. Virgins earned the shrewd business woman more money and Madame Ming never missed a chance to turn a profit.<p>

Quietly, trying to not draw too much attention to her—Bokahn was well-known amongst the dockworkers and she didn't feel like stopping to chat today—she hurried away from the docks toward the market.

The market was a large, bustling square in the middle of town. It was crowded and loud and Bokahn reveled in the life that ebbed and flowed all around her. Off to the side near the far wall was a stall that Bokahn had always loved. It was owned by her friend Kai, a pretty Firebender with naturally dark red hair who sold spices as well as ran the town's orphanage. Kai was always happy, always positive in her way of thinking. Good things to be when one had to deal with traumatized children every day.

Kai's story was well-known on Ember Island. Her father had been an important official in Fire Lord Ozai's Royal Court, but her mother had been a servant woman. Then, when Kai was only ten, her father had her banished for reasons kept secret. After that Kai had lived with a band of thieves until the war was over, then she came to Ember Island and, with money granted to her by the Dragon of the West, General Iroh himself, had begun her orphanage.

It was a simple story to most but over the past four years Bokahn had grown to know Kai much better than most. She could see that Kai's hard life still haunted her sometimes, though she kept her pain hidden behind happy smiles and an enthusiastic, life-loving persona. Bokahn knew there was no one better to care for the children orphaned by The Great War.

Bokahn made her way over to Kai's spice stall where she could see her red haired friend packaging what looked like cinnamon powder into small silk satchels. Beside the woman, a young girl with high-set pigtails who looked like she might be eight or nine years old was setting out more satchels onto the stall's counter. "Hello Tava," Bokahn greeted Kai's young helper.

Tava looked up, startled. When she caught sight of who had spoken she smiled. "Good morning 'Kahn," she said, using the nickname Bokahn had been assigned several years ago when Tava had been having trouble with her 'B's.

Kai had looked up too when Bokahn had arrived. She smiled at her friend but did not stop her work. "Hey Bee," she said as she tied another satchel of cinnamon closed. "Where are the midgets?"

Bokahn grinned. Kai had always referred to Bokahn's children as 'The Midgets', mainly because they were so small when she first met them a little over three years ago. "They're sleeping."

Kai nodded in understanding. Roku and Kya, Bokahn's young children, were known for not being morning people, for all Kya was a Firebender. Kai glanced over at Tava but the little girl had settled herself in a nitch behind the stall and was busy weaving the basket Kai had allowed her to bring to work on. Satisfied her charge was sufficiently busy Kai leaned forward to whisper conspiratorially to Bokahn, "So, did you hear the news?"

"What news?"

"General Iroh is coming, and he's bringing the Fire Lord. Didn't you hear? Agni, you must have your head buried under a rock."

"The Fire Lord is coming!" Bokahn straightened up in shock, her mouth dropping open.

Kai grabbed her shoulder and forced her back down. "Hush, will you? Geeze. Yes, the Fire Lord is coming," she said dismissively, "but he's just a big pain in the ass. What's important is General Iroh is coming. And he sent a messenger hawk to say he wants the visit the orphanage! Can you imagine? The Dragon of the West visiting my orphanage?"

Bokahn's eyebrows snapped up in surprise at hearing Kai's casual dismissal of the Fire Lord. She spoke as if she knew him intimately. Still, that was impossible, right? Bokahn brushed aside the thought; if Kai knew the Fire Lord she'd be living in the palace or something, not running an orphanage on this hellish island. "That's so exciting!"

"Better still," Kai said with one of her mischievous smiles, "I need you to help cook for them. They're used to Fire Nation food but you," she gestured at Bokahn, "you know how to cook exotic meals, Agni knows how."

Bokahn blushed at the praise. It was true, for all her memory loss, if put in front of a stove Bokahn could make extraordinary dishes that no one had ever seen and they always tasted delicious, except for the Sea Prunes she had served once. Only she had seemed to like them and for some reason the fact that others didn't like them had not come as a surprise. It was just another mystery tucked into the dark recesses of her mind she couldn't quiet reach. "When are they coming to the orphanage?" she asked. "Because tonight is my night off so I could bring the twins over and do some prep work to get ready."

"They're coming tomorrow for lunch," Kai said. "So you'll have to also come over in the morning or, if you stay too late, you can just sleep over, you and the kids."

"I don't know," Bokahn said nervously, thinking of how Madame Ming would react to her best money earner skipping out on a night where there might be a whole lot of money to be earned.

"How much do you still owe her?" Kai asked, venom poisoning her usually happy voice at the mere thought of the cold bordello owner.

"One hundred gold pieces," Bokahn said unhappily, for all the sum was considerably less than when she had started to work the vile woman four years ago.

Kai grunted and reached under the table. "I thought it was about that much," she said as she fished around in one of the baskets she kept hidden behind the stall. "Now, where did I put that—ah ha! Here it is," and, with a flourish, Kai plunked a large canvas pouch on top of the table.

"Kai, wha—"

"This should pay off your debt to her. But don't get me wrong," Kai's copper-colored eyes glinted with mischief, "it'll only put you in debt to me instead of her." Kai knew her friend's pride well and smiled at the look of gratitude on Bokahn's face. Bokahn was not the type of woman to take a free handout and honestly, Kai had lived with thieves too long to give them, but a fair trade felt right, to both of them.

"Oh, Kai, I don't know what to say," Bokahn breathed, "except—"

"There's nothing _to_ say," Kai interrupted, seeing an emotional moment coming on, something she really wanted to avoid in front of all the early morning market-goers. "Just go to Madame Ming, give her the money, gather your things and meet Rizuka at the orphanage by high noon. She'll help you get settled in," Kai said, naming one of the older teenage girls who had decided to stay at the orphanage and help take care of the younger children once she had been deemed old enough and capable enough to be able to go out on her own.

Bokahn nodded breathlessly, clutching the purse to her chest. She couldn't believe her luck. One hundred gold pieces was not a small sum and to have a friend who was willing to buy her debt so she wouldn't have to be ashamed of herself in front of her children anymore—that was a true friend. Quickly, before the tears that she felt beginning to form in her eyes could spill, Bokahn hurried away, back through the market place and up Ember Street to The Joyous Court where she had some unfinished business to take care of.

Kai watched Bokahn go and smiled. More and more every day her blue-eyed friend reminded her of Katara; the way Katara never had a bad word to say about anyone; how Katara had always been so happy, if not for herself than for others; the hope that constantly shown in Katara's sapphire eyes…

Kai shook herself from the memories and focused again on her present. Bokahn could easily pass for Katara's sister. Kai herself was half-convinced that Bokahn was in reality Katara, which explained why she had not come back after that final battle. She had even begun watching her friend for signs of Waterbending, to no avail. Now, Zuko was coming to the island, the kind of perfect opportunity she had been waiting for. If anyone could shake Bokahn's memories if she was really Katara it was Zuko. Kai had never seen another couple so in love as Zuko and Katara had been, not even Sokka and Suki had managed their level of attachment and complete and total understanding of each other. Kai now only had to hope and pray she was right and have complete faith in the outcome.

Kai snorted. Hope, Faith, Belief. Those had always been Katara's. All of them had looked to her for those important emotions that had made their mission successful, and in a way, Kai was still looking to her old friend for those things, only, her friend didn't know it.

A middle aged woman approached the stall and began examining the bunch of sage Kai had tied to the stall's awning. Kai moved to help her, a smile on her face, forcing herself to concentrate on the here and now rather than the future.


	2. Arrival

**Tomboy101: I forgot to say it in the previous chapter so I'll say it here: THE ONLY CHARACTERS I OWN ARE THE ONES THAT DO NOT MAKE AN APPEARANCE IN THE TV SHOW _AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER. _I'm not going to include the movie because that _thing _shouldn't even exist, but there, that's just my opinion. You might have a different one than I and I don't want to discourage you from it. Anyway, I wish to thank xXBeautiful TragedyXx, Alex, ShadowJ95, trumpetgurl92 and patty cake rocks for their wonderful reviews and giving a girl heart. I hope y'all enjoy this second installment of _Remember_.**

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><p>The trip from the Fire Nation Capitol by boat to the Fire Lord's family home on Ember Island was anything but peaceful. Not only did Toph, Aang and Sokka get up to their usual hijinks, they now had the added accomplices of Sokka's two young sons, Bato, four years old, and Miru, three years old. Suki, who was pregnant again but this time praying for a girl, had a hard time controlling the three hoodlums and their sidekicks and keeping them from harassing Fire Lord Zuko.<p>

Zuko, for his part, rose to the occasion as could only be expected. Every time any of his old friends or adopted nephews teased him he reacted in what even Suki had to admit was the funniest way imaginable and it usually included a lot of noise and the occasional small light show which even the crew found entertaining.

The crew themselves were amused by how much younger their Fire Lord looked when once again surrounded by his old friends. He had been unable to spend any time with his old traveling companions in the days leading up to their departure but now that he had the change was drastic. Where once he had prowled the ship at night unable to sleep, he now slept all the way through till sunrise like any respectable Firebender should, unless of course awakened by a joke pulled on him by one of his friends. Also, the purple smudges that had seemed like permanent stains under his eyes were gone and his skin and eyes shown healthily in the sun. Not to mention how much his mood had improved. He was still quiet, that would never really change, but now it was more of a contented, happy quite rather than the brooding, moping quiet he had exuded at first, with fewer truly angry outbursts to break it.

The captain turned back to watching where he was steering from watching his young passengers. _Yes_, he decided with a self satisfied nod, _all of them are happy to see each other again._ He glanced once more down to the deck. _Very happy, though I doubt His Majesty will ever admit it_.

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><p>They docked at Ember Island in the afternoon two days after they set out, the captain having taken the scenic route to prolong his passengers' carefree fun, not that anyone but the crew noticed. On the docks waiting to meet them was a shapely, red haired woman with shining copper eyes and an eager smile. The minute Zuko stepped off the ship the woman pounced on him, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing tight. "Zuky!" she cried. "I'm so happy to see you!"<p>

Zuko, having stumbled back from the enthusiasm of Kai's hug, smiled into her hair. "It's good to see you too," he said.

Kai peeked around her old friend to who else had come and gave another excited squeal."Suki! Toph!" And then she was darting past Zuko and squishing the two women against her in a group hug. "I'm so happy you guys are here!" she said happily, looking around at everyone who had come, and in truth everyone _had_ come. There was Zuko, Iroh, Toph, Suki, Sokka, their children, and Aang, of course, but there was also Haru, The Duke, Pipsqueak, Longshot, Smellerbee, even Jet.

Tears sprang to Kai's eyes, happiness swelling in her heart as she looked around at all the smiling faces. Then Jet moved a little to the side, revealing the young woman, a mirror image of Kai, who had been standing behind him. The woman's hair was the same deep red of Kai's, her eyes the same shining copper, the only difference between her and Kai was she was about two inches taller than Kai and even then you couldn't really tell unless they were standing side by side.

At the appearance of the woman the tears that had been threatening to spill from Kai's eyes really did pour out. "Amati!" she cried and flung herself at her twin, completely enveloping her in a bone crushing hug, which Amati returned just as forcefully. They clung to each other, both crying silently with joy. Around them their friends politely turned away so as not to intrude on the touching reunion. General Iroh, standing next to Zuko, smiled and whispered to his nephew, "I must congratulate you on your idea to bring young Lady Amati with us to see her sister. It was most generous of you."

A small smile turned one corner of the Fire Lord's mouth up. He was very pleased with himself on that stroke of brilliance. In truth, he probably would have done anything to see Kai smile like that. Growing up she had been more his sister than Azula ever was and her happiness was always a major concern of his.

Finally the sisters released each other and began talking fast and furiously, Suki and Toph soon joining them, dragging Smellerbee with them. For the rest of the trip to the Fire Lord's vacation home all of the girls continued to talk like that. There was so much for them to catch up on, having been apart for the better part of four years. Kai only accompanied the group as far as the beginning of the South End however, but made them all promise to come to a late lunch/early supper with her and her wards at the orphanage as soon as they were settled.

Settling in, as it turned out, didn't take half as long as they expected. In the weeks leading up to their departure for Ember Island Iroh had been in constant contact with Flo and Lee, who had seen to it that the house was both ready for their arrival and fully staffed with servants, including footman, maids, servants of general work, handmaidens, and valets. It was these people who took charge of the group's belongings and prepared their rooms when they arrived at the Fire Lord's family home.

So, with nothing else to do, Zuko, Sokka, Iroh, Aang, Toph and Suki all headed into town in search of Kai's orphanage while Longshot, Smellerbee, The Duke, Pipsqueak, Haru, Jet and Amati opted to go to the beach and Bato and Miru took a nap in the rooms specially prepared for them.

It took very little for Zuko and his friends to find Kai's orphanage. One question posed to a helpful teenage boy by Suki and they were pointed in the right direction. The orphanage was a large building, sprawling, in an open air style with four different wings and a courtyard at its center. The roof was red trimmed in gold held up by white walls like most Fire Nation buildings. A glance at General Iroh's face showed Zuko that his uncle was smiling with pride; then he remembered his Uncle Iroh had been the one to provide Kai with the money for the orphanage. In return Kai had been eternally grateful and named the orphanage after him. Her choice was painted in gold on a redwood sign hanging over the double entry doors: The Dragon's Sanctuary.

Zuko raised his hand to knock but before his hand could touch the wood the door was wrenched open. He blinked in surprise at the apparently empty doorway and he glanced down. Holding the door open were possibly two of the cutest little kids he had ever seen. Both had dark brown-black hair held back, the boy in a topknot, and the girl in a long braid. Neither could be older than five.

The boy looked up at them with bright blue eyes while the girl stood a little behind him, peeking over his shoulder with light brown eyes. Other than their hair and eyes the two were identical. Iroh stared at the young children. If he didn't know any better he would say he was looking back in time at a young Zuko, only with blue eyes. And to Sokka the girl looked like a young Katara, only paler and with brown eyes. Tears sprang to both warriors' eyes but no one noticed because the boy was speaking. "Who are you?" he demanded in his little boy voice. Behind him the little girl who could only be his twin tugged on his shirt and whispered, "Be nice, Roku."

Suki smiled over her slight baby bump—thankfully she wasn't grotesquely pregnant yet—and stepped forward. "Hello, we're looking for Kai. Do you know where she is?"

Roku eyed them curiously. He had seen lots of people like this group come to the orphanage. There was an entire wing devoted to families—the Yellow Wing—but this was by the far the strangest bunch he had ever seen: an old man, two young men, two teenagers and a young pregnant woman, not that he actually knew Suki was pregnant, he was five after all. "What do you want with Aunt KK?" he asked them.

"We're some old friends of hers," Suki said, still smiling.

"Aunt KK told us they'd be coming, Roku," the little girl whispered to her brother. "Remember? She said she had some friends coming over and if we saw them we should take them straight to her in her work room."

Roku glanced back at her. "Alright, Kya," he said. Turning back to the newcomers he said, "Aunt KK's in her work room. We'll show you where it is." Roku turned from them and began walking down the corridor, leaving the door open for them. Kya followed him quickly. The group of friends looked at each other, a little confused, but followed the two anyway.

Roku and Kya walked side by side in front of the Avatar and his friends, leading them down the brightly lit, airy corridors that seemed so welcoming and friendly, out into a courtyard that had a garden at its center just as lovely and elaborate as anything in the Fire Lord's palace planted around a turtleduck pond with a bridge over it and into another adjacent wing painted all over in pale and dark green with matching tapestries, carpets and other decorations. "This is the school wing," Kya explained shyly over her shoulder to them.

"This is where we learn stuff and where our momma works," Roku added. "She's the cook. Momma's a good cook, 'cept when she makes Sea Prunes. They're yucky!"

Kya hit her brother in the arm. "I like Sea Prunes," she pouted.

"You and Momma are the only ones," Roku shot back.

"So you're mom's from the Water Tribe?" Aang asked.

The twins looked back at his curious face. Kya shrugged and Roku said, "Dunno."

Again, the group shared some looks but said nothing. Finally the twins stopped in front of a plane wooden door carved with all four nation's symbols twining around each other in harmony encircled by a dragon, the crest of the orphanage. "This is it," Roku said as Kya reached up and opened the door.

"Aunt KK?" the little girl whispered into the room without opening the door all the way.

From inside the room a familiar voice answered, "Yes, Kya?"

Kya smiled and dashed into the room, running around the desk and scrambling onto the woman who sat behind it's lap. "We found your friends, Aunt KK," she said proudly, her voice louder than what any of them had heard so far. "Me and Roku brought them straight here, just like you told us to." She gestured excitedly to the adults and her brother who had followed her into the work room.

The work room itself was of medium size, large enough to hold Aang and his old traveling companions comfortably, but not large enough to provide seating for all of them. The colors in this room were predominately red and gold with a dark redwood desk and chair being the main focal point. What really caught Zuko's attention, however, was the painting hung up just to the left behind Kai's desk. It was a portrait of them, and not just him and Kai, but everyone who meant anything to his childhood best friend. Mai, her half sister, was there, as was Ty Lee, Amati, Suki, Toph, Sokka, Iroh, Aang, Chit Sang, Jet, Smellerbee, Longshot, Pipsqueak, The Duke, Haru, even Zuko's mother Fire Lady Ursula as well as Zuko himself, and a girl with deep blue eyes, walnut skin and long, rich dark brown hair. Zuko quickly looked away from Katara's image and refocused on the woman sitting behind the desk with the little five-year-old girl in her lap.

Kai was smiling as she watched him. She had seen him looking at her mural and paying particular attention to the Waterbender portrayed there. "Do you like my mural Zuky?" she asked teasingly.

Zuko's eyes flashed to her and Kai almost regretted her words. "Yea," he said quietly.

Kai looked down to Kya sitting in her lap and smiled at the happy child. "Why don't you and Roku go find your momma and tell her company's here and that we'll be coming down to have lunch in a minute?" she suggested.

Kya nodded enthusiastically and clambered down from her perch. She skipped over to her brother who had been talking to the old man with the beard and tugged on his sleeve. "Roku," she said, "Aunt KK wants us to go find Momma."

Roku looked at his sister then back at Iroh, indecision clear on his face. After only talking to the old man for a few minutes he already liked him and wanted to hear all of his stories. But the need to obey Kai and go find his mother won out and he left with Kya, both of them darting out the door and down the hall.

Iroh watched them go, amusement shining in his brown eyes. He had always loved children, and the uncanny resemblance that boy had to his nephew as a child only made him want to get to know him more. Once the pair was out of sight Iroh turned to Kai who was now greeting all of them.

"I'm so glad you guys came," she said eagerly. "Kya and Roku's mother made us lunch but we'll need to give her a minute to get it all set up." Several minutes passed in idle chatter, this time Kai mostly conversed with the boys as she had already caught up with the girls, till Roku reappeared, all smiles, to inform them that his momma had finished laying out lunch for them in the main dining hall.

They were all sitting down to lunch when suddenly one of the vases holding some water and flowers burst. They all turned to stare at it completely bewildered. There was another loud crash, shouts, and a large woman came barreling into the dining hall from the door leading to the kitchen, her face flushed and her movements angry. Following her, looking even more in a rage, was a slim, walnut skinned woman with fiery blue eyes and a stormy expression. "How dare you!" the blue eyed woman shouted at the large woman. "How dare you! Who do you think you are to strike my child?"

The first woman whirled around, making her stand halfway between the table where Kai and her friends sat and the kitchen door. "You're precious little daughter," she shouted back, "misbehaved. I was disciplining her, as I discipline all of the orphans here. What makes your child so special that she does not deserve the same treatment?"

"Misbehaved? She misbehaved? She tripped down the stairs you warty bull toad! She's a five year old! How can you possibly blame her for being uncoordinated and clumsy?"

Kai, who had watched the shouting match silently up until now, suddenly stood. "What is this that I'm hearing, Zu Tai?" she demanded of the large woman, her voice taking on a cold, steely quality none of them had heard before. There was ice in her copper eyes as she looked at Zu Tai, who flushed in embarrassment at being confronted by the orphanage's matron herself.

"I-I was disciplining the child Kya, ma'm," Zu Tai attempted to explain.

"And what," Kai stepped closer to Zu Tai, towering over the shorter woman, "was her offence?"

"Sh-she—"

"Zu Tai has decided that accidently tripping and falling down the stairs is a form of mischief, Kai," the blue eyed woman said, glaring at Zu Tai like a mother moose lion would at someone who threatened her cubs. Sokka, who got a glimpse of her expression, had only seen an expression like that on one other person and it really hit him how much this stranger looked like his beloved sister. It also made him shudder because he remembered how scary Katara had been when she was this angry.

"Is this true, Zu Tai?"

Zu Tai, seeing the expression on both Kai and the blue eyed woman's face, thought it best to keep quite. Kai, seeing that Zu Tai was not going to answer her, continued, "You know my philosophy on discipline, Zu Tai. I made it very clear to you when you first arrived here. I understand the need for physical reprimands in response to a child misbehaving but I do not condone it when a child has made a mistake. Rizuka?"

A teenage girl, no older than eighteen stepped forward from where she had been standing against the wall near the door to the kitchen. "Rizuka, if you would please escort Madame Tai to her room and help her pack her belonging so that she may depart at the earliest possible opportunity."

Rizuka nodded and turned to Zu Tai, who had become paler and paler with each word Kai spoke. Now, seeing Rizuka looking at her steadily, not an ounce of pity in her eyes, Zu Tai hurried from the room. Rizuka followed out the door and closed it quietly behind them.

Once they were gone the blue eyed turned and smiled sheepishly at Kai. "Sorry about that," she said.

Kai waved her apology off, back to being her normal, happy self. "Don't worry about it. I should have noticed how poorly she treated her pupils sooner. But that's all in the past now. Now," Kai turned to her friends and ushered the blue eyed woman forward, "Bokahn, I want you to meet some people. People, this is Bokahn, my head chef and mother of the two munchkins you met earlier."

There was dead silence as all of them stared open mouthed at Bokahn. There was no way they could be seeing what they thought they were seeing. It just wasn't possible. Facing them directly, her face no longer contorted with rage and partially obscured by her hair, it felt like they were looking once more at their favorite Waterbending Master. Bokahn looked so much like Katara that for a moment they were speechless. She had the same big blue eyes, same walnut skin, same lithe frame, same pretty smile that seemed to light up her whole face.

Finally they found their voices and there was a chorus of hellos and nice to meet yous, which Bokahn returned with a small blush and a smile, unaccustomed to so many pairs of eyes focused on her and she dressed like a normal person. For their part, Aang, Sokka, Iroh, and Suki had to try to keep themselves from staring too openly at Bokahn. Only Toph, whose feet had been touching the floor when Bokahn entered the room, and Zuko, who, once recovered from the shock, refused to look at her, remained silent.

Later, after Bokahn had retreated to the kitchen and they had all finished their lunch, Toph caught up to Kai who was leading them back down the corridors. "Hey, Red, can I talk to you?' the young Earthbender asked.

Kai glanced down at her friend. It wasn't that far to look. Over the past five years Toph had shot up, now almost the same height as Kai. She had filled out too, with curves in all the right places, not that she would ever know that. Kai would bet twenty silver pieces that Toph complained that she now had to deal with the hindrance of a chest, saying that it affected her Bending. "Of course, Toph. What's on your mind?"

Toph took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "That woman—Bokahn you said her name was?—she felt really familiar."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, everyone has a different feel to them. Twinkletoes feels all light and barely there; you and Sparky feel warm, though he feels more solid; Sokka feels a little unbalanced but strong; Suki is balanced but soft; and Katara—"

Toph fell silent and Kai looked down. The teenager's eyes were hidden by her bangs but Kai could see that her mouth was trembling. Kai made no move to comfort her friend, knowing Toph would not take kindly to her putting her arm around her. When she had gotten herself under control again Toph continued, "Bokahn felt like Katara, only different. Katara felt fluid, like you couldn't ever pin her down but not in the same way as Twinkletoes. Bokahn felt like that only…different. Like she was lost or something."

Kai looked in surprise at Toph. It always shocked her how wise such a young girl could be and it reminded her how hard the Earthbender's life had been. Quietly, so that the others couldn't hear, Kai said, "I ask that you keep that bit of information to yourself, at least for now. I want to talk to all of you about it later, alright?"

Toph nodded and Kai smiled in relief before turning to the left and opening a dark blue, arched door and leading them into a lounge room. There were several lounge chairs and cushions and armchairs that were spread out around the room. Kai happily plunked herself down on a recliner near the center of the room situated so it faced a low table which already had a tea set laid out for them. "It's ginseng tea, Uncle Iroh," she informed the aged general, whose eyes had lit up at the site of the tea pot. "I know it's your favorite."

"Thank you," Iroh said as he settled himself on a cushion in front of the table. Kai reached forward and poured everyone a cup, distributing them with smiles. Her friends took their cups, giving her quiet thank yous but not making any effort to start up any conversations with each other. Once they were all served Kai sat back on lounge chair and surveyed them with serious copper eyes.

Finally, after several minutes of contemplative silence, she spoke. "So, what do you think of Bokahn?"

Immediately everyone's gaze snapped to her. "She looks—" Aang started.

"She looks just like Katara," Sokka interrupted, his tone unusually solemn, bordering on angry. He set his tea cup down unnecessarily hard and glared at Kai. "You wanted for us to see her," he challenged the Firebender.

Kai nodded. "You're right, I did."


	3. Water

"Why?" Aang asked quietly. Although he hadn't known Kai for very long or very well he knew enough of the older girl's nature to know she wouldn't have done something like introduce them to a woman who could be Katara's identical twin for no reason. Especially not when such an action would undoubtedly reopen old wounds, the deepest being in her own childhood best friend, Zuko.

His question was unheard however because Sokka started yelling, towering over Kai from where she sat. "Why! Why would you want to do that? I knew you didn't care about us! What, did you think it'd be funny to mess with us by showing us some woman who LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE MY SISTER?"

Kai leaped to her feet, fire in her eyes and on her hands. "How _dare_ you!" she screamed back, the flames on her hands reaching up to her elbows now. "How dare you think I don't care? You are my friends! Zuko is my brother! I would _never _do anything to hurt him. Or you!"

"Please," Iroh said, somehow managing to be heard over Kai's and Sokka's yelling. "Please, why don't we all sit down and discuss this rationally.

Suki gripped her husband's arm and attempted to pull him back down to sit next to her on the sofa. "Sokka, you must know that Kai wouldn't try to intentionally hurt her friends."

Sokka hesitated. He obviously still had plenty of things to say but his _pregnant_ wife was asking him not to and there was no way he was risking upsetting her. Slowly, he sat back down, still glaring at Kai.

Kai, for her part, matched Sokka's glare with one of her own and refused to break eye contact, watching him as he sat back down before slowly returning to her own seat.

Iroh watched the two volatile young people and sighed inwardly with relief once both were seated. Sometimes he forgot how much more explosive Kai's temper, when it did surface, was than Zuko's.

Aang, who had been halfway standing, ready to jump in if a fight broke out, sat back down on his cushion next to Toph but, even though his two friends were no longer yelling, he could still have cut the tension in the room with a knife. The hair on his arms stood on end as the air around him shifted subtly, feeling the tenseness in him and readying itself in case he needed it. "So," he said awkwardly, giving Sokka one more look before turning to Kai, "why did you introduce us to Bokahn?"

Kai shot Sokka one last glare before looking at the Avatar. "It is my belief that Bokahn is in truth Katara."

At this news, said in such a calm manner, there was an immediate uproar.

"WHAT?" Sokka squawked as he leaped to his feet again.

"Come again?" Suki asked, too stunned to comprehend what Kai had said.

"Say what?" Toph exclaimed.

"Huh?" Aang asked.

"Are you sure, my dear?" Iroh questioned, attempting to keep as calm as he could.

Only Zuko had nothing to say. He merely stared at Kai, not daring to believe what she was saying, sure that it was a cruel, cruel joke. The very idea that Katara might be alive made his heart soar. The idea that she might not be and Kai was wrong made it come crashing back to earth.

"I'm almost positive," Kai said loudly, regaining their attention. "Listen," she continued, a little quieter, "the storyline fits. And it explains why Katara didn't show up at the end of the fighting in the Fire Nation capitol.

"Bokahn has absolutely no memory of anything before five years ago when she showed up on a boat that was half sunk on Ember Island, pregnant and completely lost. I've asked around and people say she's the sweetest thing and is a very good Healer—she helps out at the hospital for extra money when she can—and, when I pressed them for details, they say they remember water moving near her on the rare occasions they've seen her angry. Isn't that how Katara first started waterbending, Sokka?"

Everyone turned to Sokka who nodded. "That's right. It's how we found Aang. She was yelling at me and moving her arms and accidently started bending the water behind her. I used to think it was freaky." Sokka smiled sadly at the memory of his fourteen year old sister attempting to strengthen her bending.

Kai nodded. "And don't forget to remember she looks exactly like Katara. They could be twins."

"Hold up," Toph said suddenly. "Doesn't Bokahn have a kid?"

"Yes she does, twins actually. The twins you met earlier."

"You mean Roku and Kya?" asked Suki.

"But how?" Sokka asked dumbly.

Kai, a mischievous glint in her copper eyes now, turned to Iroh, who had been oddly quiet. "Who does Roku look like, Uncle Iroh?" she asked.

Iroh smiled, seeing the glint in Kai's eyes, and said placidly, "He looks like Zuko at that age."

Kai smiled in return, showing all of her teeth, and turned to Sokka, "And what was your mother's name?"

Sokka frowned and looked down at his lap. "Kya," he said. Suddenly, his head popped back up, his face contorted into something quite different from his usual happy expression. "You," he growled, pointing at Zuko.

Zuko gulped and leaned back from the angry Water Tribe warrior. "You got my sister pregnant!" Sokka screeched.

"You got Katara pregnant?" Aang yelled, jumping up to stand beside Sokka. Both males glared down at the cowering firebender, murder in their eyes.

Kai winced, glad she had taken them to one of the five soundproofed rooms in the orphanage.

"Way to go Sparky!" Toph cackled.

"Wait, when did this happen?" Suki asked.

Zuko for his part, shrunk away from the death glares of Katara's brother and brother-figure, blushing furiously and attempting to stammer out apologies and explanations.

"I'm guessing it happened right before the final battle," Kai said, her grin still firmly in place. Seeing the Fire Lord cowering before a teenager and the nonbending Water Tribe prince was just too funny, forget that this was Aang and Sokka who Kai had seen act in some of the most ridiculous fashions.

Sokka and Aang advanced slowly on Zuko who tried to backpedal way from them, except he was sitting so his chair toppled over backwards onto the floor.

"Now now, boys," Kai laughed, "there really is no reason to kill the Fire Lord. I know it might seem like a good idea right now but unfortunately, we need him. He might be the only one who can trigger Katara's memories."

Immediately they stopped and turned to her. "Why is he the only one?" Sokka asked. "What about me? I'm her brother!"

"Yes, you're her brother," Kai said in that annoyingly calm way of hers, "but she was _in love_ with Zuko, and Roku and Kya are his kids. Sure, we'll try and trigger her memories one at a time—we should probably do it in the order she met everyone, excluding Zuko—but I think, in the end, Zuko will be the one to trigger a full memory recovery. Sorry Sokka."

Sokka huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at Zuko but returned to his seat, Aang following him. Both continued to pout but neither said a word. They, of course, were not in the least bit happy with the situation but both knew they were beat. Kai would have them trussed up and doing her bidding in seconds if they pushed her; she was scary that way when she wanted to be and there was no way even the Avatar would challenge that determined look in her eye.

"Now that that's all settled," Kai said happily, "how about some more tea?" She picked up the teapot that had been simmering above the small heating stand and held it in an offering gesture to Iroh.

Iroh smiled and nodded. "That would be most welcome," he said and held up his cup. Kai smiled and poured him some more of his favorite ginseng tea then looked around to the rest of them. All of the others' cups were still full so Kai set the teapot down.

"What exactly do you have in mind?" Suki asked after a minute of silence.

"Yea," Toph said, "what _is _the plan, Red?"

"I am so glad you asked," Kai said, leaning forward conspiratorially.

* * *

><p>Bokahn was still fuming when she returned to the kitchen. How dare that woman hurt Kya? She growled as she stuck her hand into the tub full of hot, soapy water and began to wash dishes. Kya was a clumsy child; Bokahn had left the twins here at the orphanage often enough that everyone knew that. The warm water splashed as Bokahn scrubbed at a large pot furiously. Fire glinted in her bright blue eyes and she gritted her teeth. Hitting a child to discipline them, though Bokahn didn't like it, was acceptable, as Kai had said. Hitting a child for making a mistake was wrong, just plain wrong.<p>

The other women who worked in the kitchen watched Bokahn a little nervously, glad that she wasn't a Firebender. If she had been the women were sure that the kitchen would be in flames, such was the anger in Bokahn's face and especially her eyes. Quickly they got back to work, trying to finish their tasks to the best of their abilities but as fast they could so they could get out of the tense atmosphere in the kitchen.

Completely unaware of this Bokahn continued mumbling and growling to herself as she washed the lunch dishes and placed them on drying racks. "Just who does that woman think she is?" Bokahn growled as she practically slammed an iron pot onto a drying rack. "Hitting a child because she made a mistake! That's as bad beating a child for no reason! When I get my hands on that Zu Tai—" Bokahn stopped mid-rant and stared.

The water in the tub was rising. Thick watery ropes wound their way up her arms, soothing her where they touched her hot skin. Bokahn felt she should scream, but she couldn't. The water wasn't trying to hurt her, it was trying to help her. She felt it wanting to calm her down, ease her anger.

Slowly, Bokahn lifted her arms. The water came with her, spreading out till it made elbow-length gloves and outlined her hands. Bokahn lifted her hands up to eye level, not quite believing what she was seeing. She wasn't a Waterbender—at least, she didn't _think_ she was a Waterbender. Bokahn slowly rotated her left wrist. The water followed the movement, corkscrewing down her fingers until the glove only covered her palm to elbow. Bokahn gulped. What was this? She didn't understand. She was _not _a Waterbender. But—this felt so right.

Water called to her from all around the kitchen. The liquid in the big iron pot over the cooking fire sloshed and bubbled, reaching for her. The water some of the kitchen maids were using to clean vegetables for tonight's soup stretched towards her. The air itself became humid and sticky as water in the atmosphere condensed, focusing on the young blue-eyed, brown-haired woman.

There was a crash, a woman's scream tore the air.

A kitchen maid stared horrorstruck at the pitcher she had just dropped. The water that had been inside was floating up from the clay shards, snakelike. Her wide eyes followed the water as it slithered through the frozen maids who had looked up at the noise until it reached Bokahn where it wound itself around her body.

The kitchen maids were too shocked to move. None of them had ever seen anyone waterbend, let alone an actual Waterbender. All of the Benders in the orphanage, including orphans, families and workers, were either Earthbenders or Firebenders. Some of the maids didn't even know or believe that Waterbenders existed or they believed the Avatar was the only one who could learn Waterbending. To see a Waterbender standing before them, plain as day, let alone that it was someone they knew, was both terrifying and awe-inspiring.

Bokahn hadn't heard the scream or crash; she didn't even notice she was had become the center of everyone's attention. All she saw was the water that flowed and ebbed around her with a life of its own. She lifted her hands high above her head. The water that encircled her rose with her hands and formed a ring above her head. She moved her arms in a circular pattern above her head and the water circle began to flow in a loop. The water on her right arm stretched up and connected with the water circle.

"Bokahn?"

A voice calling her name broke the spell.

The water crashed down, splashing everyone, including Bokahn. Bokahn whirled around. Kai stood in the kitchen doorway, staring at Bokahn with wide eyes, her face white.

Bokahn didn't know what to say. There really was nothing she _could_ say. She didn't know how this had happened. She hadn't known she was a Waterbender—or remembered she was a Waterbender. But somehow it felt right, Bending the water, feeling its energy in synch with hers.

Kai hurried across the kitchen and grabbed her wrist. "Come with me."

Bokahn allowed herself to be dragged past the astonished maids and out of the kitchen, stumbling along behind her friend silently. She was still in shock. Bokahn racked her brain trying to figure out what the Spirits was going on with her. She still didn't quite understand. Knowing how to make food no one had ever heard of before was one thing, Waterbending was something completely different.

Kai dragged Bokahn through the orphanage, past maids and teachers and orphans, out into the main courtyard to the turtle-duck pond where she proceeded to push Bokahn in till she was knee-deep in the water. At this point Bokahn woke up from her shock-induced stupor. "Kai! What are you doing?"

"You're a Waterbender. And your emotions are going haywire. Waterbenders feel better when they're in water. Hence, you're in water."

Bokahn stared at her. "You're crazy! In case you haven't been paying attention for the past five years let me remind you of something very important. I'm. Not. A Waterbender! I don't know what happened just now but it was a fluke, a one-time thing. Never to happen again." The water around Bokahn's legs surged, feeling her anxiety and wanting to come to her aid.

Kai put her hands on her hips. "You don't know that," she said archly.

"Uh, yea I do! I think I'd re…mem…ber…" The water in the pond settled as the fight went out of her.

"I don't mean to sound harsh but that's the point I'm trying to make. You can't remember anything past five years ago. What if you are a Waterbender? What if you're a _Master _Waterbender? There's so much you don't know about yourself from who you were five years ago."

Bokahn flinched at Kai's words Even though they were said in a gentle tone they still hurt, especially since she couldn't deny that her Firebending friend spoke the truth. There was a lot Bokahn didn't know about who she was or how she even came to be on Ember Island. Both she and Kai had been working on the problem ever since Bokahn had told her friend about her retrograde amnesia but they hadn't had any form of luck, good or bad. Bokahn was even beginning to lose hope of ever remembering anything and had gone as far as tattooing the names of her children on the space between her shoulder blades so she wouldn't forget them like she had forgotten everything else.

"Look," Kai continued softly, "just try standing in the water for a minute. Just stand here and tell me what's going through you head, ok?"

Bokahn took in a deep breath and released it slowly. "Ok."

"Good. Now, tell me what you're thinking," she said softly.

"Um…well, I, uh—I'm a Waterbender, I guess. And I, uh, I don't know what to do. It's just—I don't know who I am. And it scares me. I—I must have been someone." Bokahn's hand went to her neck. She dug out a plain leather thong that had been hidden by the blue ribbon of her chocker. On the leather thong hung a gold band set with a ruby the size of her thumbnail cut in the symbol of the Fire Nation. "See?" she said, holding it out to Kai. "Someone gave this to me; someone must have loved me."

Bokahn had never shown Kai the ruby ring before. She had never shown it to anyone before. It was her most prized possession, second only to her children. She loved the ring, so much more than she could describe. She felt that it symbolized something good and wonderful and absolutely right in her life. It had given her hope for so long. If someone had loved her enough to give it to her, surely they loved her enough to look for her. But as the days turned into weeks and the weeks into months and the months into years it started to get harder and harder to believe that there was someone out there who missed and loved her.

"Someone must have," she whispered and her eyes filled up with tears.


	4. Bender

**Tomboy101:** **I want to thank everyone whose encouraging reviews have given me heart, they include but are not limited to: **Light1172**,** Nessa671, ShadowJ95**,** trumpetgurl92 **(you specifically encouraged me to get off my lazy butt and write and post the last chapter), **misscary12**, **Robertgirl17** (I hadn't thought about the Anastasia similarities but you're right)**, Lady Elisabeth**, **ImXDragon **(I tried to keep my language clean…er, no promises though), and **Aviandra**. Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. It really is comforting and heartening to know that people actually like my work. It makes me want to write more, faster. **

**On another note, just as a reminder, I do not own **_**Avatar: the Last Airbender**_**, or any characters mentioned therein. I do, however, own Kai, Roku, Kya, the orphanage (mainly the name) and all of the orphanage's occupants. Now that that is said, God Bless and have a Great Day!**

Zuko paced up and down the blue painted hallway outside the lounge room. His lunch, an interesting blend of both Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom foods, churned in his stomach. The quiet pressed in on his ears and his mind raced. So many thoughts were going through his head.

Katara might be alive.

Roku and Kya might be his children.

Katara might be alive.

He could have a family.

Katara might be alive.

After Kai had been called away to deal with an upset in the kitchen Zuko had felt like he couldn't breathe. That was why he was out here, not in the room with his friends. They were all talking nonstop about Kai's plan. They wouldn't shut up. Zuko couldn't deal with the noise, so he got up and left. No one noticed. If Katara had been there she would have noticed. She would have seen that something was wrong. But no, it was her they were discussing. Her and how best to help her.

Zuko wanted to shout with joy, throw up at the shock, run to Katara, sit completely still and think. He couldn't do any of those things so he paced, and thought. But he couldn't understand what he was thinking. There were too many things going through his head, he didn't know what to do. Zuko leaned back against the stone wall across from the lounge room door and slid to the floor with his face in his hands.

He had to sort through what was going on inside his head. Now. If he was going to help Katara he had to have complete control. He would be completely useless if he was panicking.

There was a soft creaking sound and the click of a door latching back into place. Zuko didn't pick his head up from his hands. He didn't care what whoever it was did. Quiet footsteps made their way over to him and he felt someone sit down on the floor beside him.

"It's all so surreal," a quiet, feminine voice said.

Zuko looked up at Toph. The younger Earthbending girl had her legs pulled up to her chest with her chin resting on her knees. Her sightless, glazed green eyes, barely visible through her dark brown almost black bangs, stared blankly ahead of her. "Bokahn being Katara, I mean," she added in that same, soft voice.

Zuko blinked in surprise at the sound. The last time they had talked like this Toph's voice had sounded so different, childish and innocent. Now it was the voice of a young woman. Zuko found himself thinking, _If Aang doesn't hurry up and ask her out I'll have to beat him over the head with Sokka's boomerang_, and almost smiled. That was such a Katara-like thought. She would be so happy to see Aang and Toph dating. She had told him once that she thought they would make a great couple, somewhere down the road.

"Yeah," he muttered, pulling his own legs up to his chest and resting his chin on his crossed arms over his knees. "Surreal."

"To think, Katara might be alive. It's just…so weird. And amazing. After Sozin's Comet and I found out that Katara had disappeared—it really, really hurt. I didn't think I'd miss Sugar Queen that much. She was like the mom I always wanted my own mother to be. She cared for everyone, you know? She even cared about me from the very beginning, even though I was acting like a spoiled brat. Up until then I had never met anyone like her."

Zuko nodded absently. He wasn't really listening to what Toph was saying but hearing her for once soft, calm voice was helping to settle his own thoughts into some semblance of order.

Katara was alive. The idea made his heart soar.

Katara had children. He went cold at the thought. Kya and Roku couldn't be younger than five years old. Katara had disappeared five years ago. The night before Katara disappeared they had slept together. Katara had told him he was her first. Uncle had said the boy, Roku, looked like Zuko had at that age. The girl, Kya, had copper eyes. Eyes were like a tell. Blue eyes were Water Tribe eyes, gray meant Air Nomad, green were Earth Kingdom, and copper eyes belonged to the Fire Nation.

Zuko almost didn't want to believe what his mind was telling him.

Katara had children. Katara's children looked like him. The only way Katara's children could look like him was if he was the father.

There was a roaring in Zuko's ears. His head spun.

Toph felt Zuko's heart speed up to a dangerous rate. She heard his breathing become irregular, like he was hyperventilating. "Zuko? Zuko, you alright?" Zuko went limp beside her. "Zuko, did you just faint?" Silence was Toph's only answer. She sighed and put her head back against the stone wall. "Seriously?" Zuko fell over onto her, his dead weight almost knocking her over. "Hey! Get off me, you great oaf!" Toph pushed against him until he toppled over in the other direction but he still didn't wake up.

Toph shook her head. "I don't believe it. The Almighty Fire Lord fainted."

* * *

><p>When Kai left to go deal with something in the kitchen there was silence amongst her friends. Then, everyone started talking at once.<p>

"Do you think Kai is right?" Suki asked.

"I dunno. It seems too easy," said the ever suspicious Sokka.

"I really want to believe she's right," Aang whispered.

"Besides, what if she's wrong? We'd be getting our hopes up for no reason."

"But there's just no way. She has to be right. There's no other explanation."

"I just….I dunno. I really, really want her to be right. It's just….I don't know if I can handle it if she's wrong. When Katara disappeared, it was really hard to come to grips with the idea that I would never see her again. She was my sister and it took me a long time to not feel like I'd turn a corner and there she'd be, asking me what the heck I was doing thinking she was dead. I don't think I could survive if Kai is wrong and I got my hopes up for nothing."

Suki wrapped her arms around her husband and pulled him to her chest.

Aang shook his head. "I know what you mean. Katara…I loved her just as you did. She was my big sister and the mother we needed when we had none. She took care of us when no one else would. She loved us all. Katara kept us together when it was all falling apart. She inspired us to do our best and beat the odds even when the whole world was against us. When she disappeared it was like a piece of me disappeared with her. It hurt more than anything I've ever experienced."

Suki gave Aang an understanding look. Katara's disappearance had hit them all very hard. Suki remembered when she had first met her sister-by-law. The memory made her want to smile. Sokka had been his usual idiot self and Katara had begged Suki and her Kyoshi Warriors to ignore him. She had said that he just couldn't help it, that stupidity really wasn't curable and to forgive his impudence. Sokka had eventually redeemed himself of course, she wouldn't have married him otherwise, but that first meeting had stuck with her and within five minutes Suki had come to the conclusion that Katara had to be a very good person to tolerate and love her brother as much as she did.

Iroh watched the young people but didn't speak. He knew Kai better than anyone besides Zuko. She wouldn't have brought up the possibility of Bokahn being Katara unless she was almost entirely certain. The redhead was cautious by nature; she didn't like to take risks. If Kai thought Bokahn was Katara then he was willing to believe her.

Iroh sipped his ginseng tea. Ginseng tea really was his favorite and Kai really knew how to brew it. Of course, she had had a pretty good teacher in the art of tea making, if he did say so himself.

* * *

><p>Kai stared at the ring. She knew that ring. She should, she had worn it for the better part of her life. It was identical to the one Zuko had given to her mere months before she was banished from the Fire Nation. After they had been reunited Kai had given it back to him to give to Katara as a promise ring, a placeholder until after the war was over and he could carve her a proper betrothal necklace. Katara had been wearing it when she disappeared.<p>

Kai's heart leaped to her throat. That cinched it in her mind. Bokahn was Katara. Kai had no doubts about it. She wanted to leap for joy, yell it from the rooftops. She wanted to run down the hallways screaming at the top of her lungs the good news. Only Bokahn's hopeless face kept her where she stood.

Kai's rational mind caught up with her emotions and brought them to heel. If she told Bokahn right now, it might scare her, Kai's rational mind reasoned. She might reject what Kai said. Better to let her regain her memories gradually and for herself than to have someone else's ideas confusing her even more.

Bokahn looked at the ring she was holding out to Kai. It was so pretty. Tears spilled from her eyes and she quickly wiped them away.

Kai hesitated for only a moment before stumbling forward, the water sloshing around her calves, and wrapped her arms around Bokahn's shoulders. "Of course someone loves you. I love you, dear one. Kya and Roku love you. You're very loveable."

Bokahn smiled weakly, her limps trembling slightly. "Thank you, Kai. You're the best friend a girl could have."

Kai smiled. "Well, I don't know about that." Seeing that Bokahn still looked like she was about to cry Kai stretched out her arms. "Come here, sweetheart."

Bokahn let Kai wrap her arms around her gratefully. Sometimes, it just felt good to get lost in the hug of a friend.

The two women in the pond didn't notice that they were being watched by three pairs of eyes, one blue, one brown and one amber. The owner of the brown eyes was standing on the opposite side of the courtyard from the other two observers. He watched the two women in silence, concern filling the pit of his once large but now drastically trimmed down stomach. This vacation wasn't exactly turning out the way the old general expected. He was a little disturbed that young Kai had not at least confided in him about her plan. If she had, maybe he could have helped. However, the fact that she had been able to marshal all of her friends into cooperating with her scheme did showcase her natural talent to coerce people, or at the very least bully them. She was, of course, not anywhere near as bad as Azula, Iroh reflected with a small smile.

A quick glance across the courtyard past the two women in the pond showed Iroh the two young people also watching the pair. Little Roku and Kya watched their mother and aunt but knew better than to interrupt. Sometimes their mom needed some big girl time with her friend. They didn't really understand what was going on right at that moment but they knew everything would be okay…hopefully.

Kya looked at her little brother—by only thirteen minutes, he was sure to constantly remind her whenever she brought it up—and tugged lightly on his shirt sleeve. "Why is Mommy upset?" she asked quietly.

Roku met her amber eyes with his blue ones. Although he was younger sometimes he felt like he was the older one. He was constantly looking out for his much quieter, shyer twin. He also usually had all the right answers, too, but not today. "I don't know," he said.

Kya hmphed. "That's not a good answer."

"So?"

Kya rolled her eyes. "I wanna go inside. Let's go find Tika and Jin."

Roku nodded. "Kay." Together the twins turned and went in search of their friends, leaving their mother and aunt alone to deal with whatever problems that didn't involve them and hence where not their concern.

* * *

><p>Bokahn pulled away from Kai and wiped her eyes. Her nose was red and stuffy and there were tear tracks on her cheeks, still, she smiled shakily at Kai's concerned expression. "I'll be alright," she whispered. "I guess today's just been a rough day what with that Zu Tai thing and then finding out I'm a Waterbender, and I dreamed last night."<p>

Kai nodded in understanding. Bokahn dreamed sometimes, and from what she had told Kai she never could really remember what the dreams were about when she woke up but she always woke up disoriented and with an urgent feeling in the pit of her stomach. "We're going to need you to find a Master, you know. Someone who can teach you to Waterbend."

Bokahn nodded. She understood that an untrained Bender was a bad thing. The orphanage had Master Earthbenders and Firebenders to teach its wards as well as anyone who couldn't afford any of the fancy private schools because Kai knew from her younger days all the trouble an untrained Bender could get up to and how much damage they could cause. Kai didn't feel like having to rebuild her orphanage every other day because some young Bender got mad.

"In the mean time, the library has Waterbending scrolls that I want you to look over and work on in your spare time, you know, when you're not feeding everyone in this place and parenting The Midgets." Kai smiled wryly.

Bokahn chuckled wetly. The twins didn't need all that much parenting. They were in school half the day and for the other half Kya was with her Firebending instructor and Roku was with his Martial Arts teachers. By the end of the day both were so completely exhausted they barely had enough energy to eat their dinners let alone get into any mischief. "Ok," she said.

"Why don't you go change into some dry clothes and go on and take a nap. I'm giving you the rest of the day off. You'll need it. Tomorrow is a school day and I'll need you up bright and early to feed all the rascals before they go off to their classes."

Bokahn nodded and together both women sloshed their way out of the turtle-duck pond. As Bokahn left the small courtyard, heading towards the Red Wing—the largest of the wings where the orphans and their caretakers slept—Kai turned left and made her way to the Blue Wing. She had left her guests alone for far too long and it was time to get back to them.


End file.
